India tightens security as opposition holds mega rally demanding election chief’s resignation

Law enforcement officials armed with batons and shields surrounded the site of a planned opposition rally in New Delhi on Sunday, according to France 24. The protest, known as the Chalo Dilli march, is being led by the main opposition Congress party and involves members of the INDIA bloc. The march is scheduled to move from Connaught Place Minto Road Junction to Ramlila Maidan.

DW News reports that the opposition is seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following a nationwide voter-verification exercise called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Critics and opposition groups claim the exercise, which purged approximately 130 million names from electoral rolls, benefits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and targets a large number of minority voters. The BJP has denied these allegations.

The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has backed the rally, though its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, told the Hindustan Times that while the group supports the cause and stands in solidarity, it will not participate in the march to maintain its independent and neutral identity. The CJP issued a statement saying Kumar's resignation is necessary to restore the credibility and independence of the Election Commission.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, DW News, DW English (Top Stories), Hindustan Times — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.